Proudly sponsored by

Labourlist Daily Email

Tags:

One of the major questions thrown up during Refounding Labour was how do political parties retain a sense of relevance to diverse communities in the modern world. With traditional voter allegiances less secure and class based voting on the wain, political parties need solid connections into real communities. For Labour, some of our best Socialist Societies help provide that link and the Labour Party Irish Society is a great example, we provide a direct connection between the Labour Party and the Irish in Britain.

I’m very proud of everything we’ve achieved in recent months in the Labour Party Irish Society, so this St Patrick’s Day will be a time to celebrate our heritage and look to what we can continue to deliver for the Irish in Britain. This year’s St Patrick’s Day reception was addressed by Ed Miliband and the Irish Minister for Trade Jo Costello TD, recognising both the contribution that the Irish make to Britain as well as the contribution the Labour Party has made to peace in Northern Ireland and relations with the Republic of Ireland.

Since last year’s St Patrick’s Day reception, we’ve the Irish Labour Party mark one year into Government in the Republic of Ireland, a long standing friend to the Labour Party Irish Society Michael D Higgins elected as President and our former Chair’s Sally Mulready elevation to the Irish Council of State and Conor McGinn elected to Labour’s NEC.

But the key factor in the success of a political organisation goes far beyond political positions and gets to the heart of the issues facing the community it seeks to serve. That’s why at our St Patrick’s Day reception was attended Irish community organisations who do so much to care for the vulnerable Irish. It is our connection to those groups and individuals that keep us relevant and informed on the needs of the community we represent in the Labour Party.
So societies like the Labour Party Irish Society help to generate a real connection between a political party and a community and will be essential to the renewal of the Labour Party as a party that is in touch with the needs, concerns and aspirations of the Irish in Britain. Societies like the Labour Irish Society help to integrate their communities into Britain and into the Labour Party and in turn, Labour becomes a stronger and more representative political party, closer in tune to the needs of the communities we serve.

So if you’re a Labour supporter with a connection, interest or passion for Ireland, join the Labour Party Irish Society, an affiliated Socialist Society of the Labour Party. Membership costs £10 or £6 reduced rate, don’t miss out on your chance to get an invite to the best St Patrick’s Day event this side of the Irish Sea!

This kind of fawning to factional interests makes me less likely to vote Labour, not more. It smacks of the ludicrous faux-Oirishry which afflicts American politics at this time of year. The notion that British residents with Irish ancestry have “needs” different from anyone else is patronising, borderline-racist nonsense.

Latest

Tomorrow Ed Miliband will unveil a significantly stronger plan to crack down on zero hours contracts – introducing legislation early in the next Parliament to ban zero hours contracts for those who are really working regular hours. The policy Miliband will announce tomorrow gives employees the right to a regular contract after just twelve weeks. That’s a big improvement on the party’s previously announced policy of a regular contract after a year on a zero hours contract – and it’ll be […]

Today’s NSPCC ChildLine report has shown a hard truth – about how children and young people today are exposed to shocking levels of pornography. They are under pressure like never before to engage in sexual activities at a young age, and face harassment and bullying through digital and social media the likes of which we could never have imagined growing up. We are failing to support them as they face these challenges. We are letting down a whole generation. Last […]

A new poll by ComRes for ITV News shows Labour far closer to the SNP than recent Scotland-wide polls – with a gap of only six points between the two parties – SNP 43% to Labour’s 37%. However, to put this into perspective, in 2010 Labour recorded 51% of the vote in these seats, compared to a vote of just 19% for the SNP. On a uniform swing – which we’re unlikely to see – that would mean the SNP […]

Labour released their latest party political broadcast (PPB) yesterday, in which Martin Freeman (accompanied by the voice of David Tennant) lays out “the choice” for voters at this election. This got us thinking in the LabourList office about our favourite PPBs over the years. Here’s our top 10 – though they aren’t in any particular order: The Road Ahead (2010) Stay on the road to recovery is the message from this PPB, following the 2008 financial crash and prior to […]

Last year Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, the Chairman of the Conservative Party, threatened to sue me, a constituent of his, for libelling him on Facebook about his alter-ego as an internet marketing millionaire called Michael Green. He initially demanded damages and, eventually, to post a retraction which read: “I recently made a post suggesting that Grant Shapps MP had lied over the use of a pen name. I now accept that such an assertion was entirely false and that Mr Shapps MP has […]